The Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort Offers a Healthy Approach to Rejuvenation

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Indulge in a seaweed wrap to firm and purify your skin. Stimulate your body with a fitness program that fits your lifestyle like no one else's. Then wrap it all up with a relaxing hydromassage to soothe your aching muscles and stimulate circulation.

Not only will the staff of The Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort relax, renew and revitalize your body, they'll offer help with designing your personal treatment program and how to incorporate it into your life. Formerly known as The Spa at Disney Institute, the full-service facility has been renamed to reflect its new surroundings.

Guests of the spa can choose from a wide variety of specialty skin and body care treatments ranging from a French body polish to a facial that is designed to minimize signs of aging.

An aromatic gel body masque followed by a thermal wrap, a cool shower and a massage with firming or contouring cream are part of the aromatherapy treatments that use aromatic botanical essences to stimulate the senses and aid relaxation. Spa manicures and pedicures polish off the list of beautifying services.

The Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort coordinates its treatments with two of the leading face and body care companies based in France. Phytomer, which means 'plant of the sea,' makes use of the natural replenishing powers of the ocean in its treatments which feature seaweed masques and marine hydrotherapies. Sothys offers one of the world's leading professional beauty and skin care lines. In addition, aromatherapy treatments feature products by industry leader Aromatherapy Associates.

Treatments can be selected individually and in full-day packages. The spa features private treatment rooms and separate locker facilities for men and women. Both locker areas include a steam room, sauna and indoor whirlpool.

Guests are suggested to reserve spa treatments weeks in advance by calling 407/827-4455.

From the August 2003 Mickey Monitor, a publication for WDW Annual Passholders:

There's a lakeside retreat in your futureWhat's going on across the lake from the Downtown Disney® Area? That's the new home of Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Based on the grand lakeside retreats of upstate New York, this new Disney Vacation Club Resort will feature more than 500 villa-style accommodations brimming with rich detail. The first phase of the Resort is scheduled to open late spring 2004.

Copyright 2003. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY.Saratoga Springs Disney Vacation Club memberships went on sale August 4, 2003. The memberships last through 2054 -- which is 12 years later than the other six DVC resorts.

There is a $10 per point incentive available with a 100-point minimum purchase. New memberships require a minimum 150-point purchase. The resort is scheduled to open May 1, 2004.

Construction is well under way for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, the newest proposed Disney Vacation Club Resort. This grand lakeside community is being built on a 65-acre site just across from the magical metropolis of Downtown Disney. When completed, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be the largest fully dedicated DVC Resort, with 552 planned Vacation Homes (subject to obtaining all necessary approvals). Projected opening of the Resort's first phase is late spring 2004.

The focal point of the Resort is the breathtaking High Rock Spring, which cascades down rockwork, emptying into a cool, clear free-form pool--the Resort's main pool. To learn more, we spoke with Keith Borngirno of MSi, the architectural planning and design firm that's helping to bring the look and feel of Upstate New York to Central Florida.

Noting that the "heart and genesis for the idea of this Resort are the natural springs," Keith designed a pool inspired by the springs found in the Resort's New York namesake. The main feature pool will be about 6,400 square feet in surface area, accommodating 180 guests. The site's 10-foot change in elevation will be preserved, serving as a transition from the lobby and restaurant area to the pool deck level. Keith says they'll use the "spring and rockwork to transition that grade as a functional element."

The pool has a zero-entry feature making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both sides of the pool entrance will have some unique water spout features, too. Two whirlpool spas are planned for the main pool area, one of which is tucked up into a rockwork slope near an additional small, unconnected waterfall. The two additional quiet pools that dot the property will have a "more formal garden quality" to them, with some cast stone water features, according to Keith.

For the main pool, Keith and his team have created a unique slide that twists and turns several times, "meandering through the rockwork." Plans also call for a bridge to be constructed over the slide's exit into the pool. And just like you'll find trees and plants native to Upstate New York at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, the rockwork mentioned earlier will also have similar "roots." Keith and his team conducted research in the Empire State, taking photographs of rock formations and landscape in the Adirondack Mountains and around the Saratoga Springs area. The colors, shapes and types of rock formations they found will serve as inspiration for the rockwork by the pool and throughout the Resort.

The natural springs in Saratoga Springs, New York, were believed to have healing powers. But while Keith and his team are incorporating spring-like water features into the design of the Resort, if you're looking to heal your body, mind and spirit, The Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort is the place to go. And there's no need to wait--it's already open! Hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. To ensure availability, reservations should be made three weeks in advance by calling 407.827.4455. Special discounts have been arranged for Disney Vacation Club members.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to open in late spring 2004 as largest Disney ownership resort to date

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Strong membership sales and continued guest demand have prompted Disney Vacation Development, Inc. to expand development plans for its next proposed timeshare resort currently under construction at Walt Disney World Resort. The project, upon completion, will become the seventh and largest Disney Vacation Club resort to date (subject to obtaining all necessary approvals).

Last year, the Company announced plans to build 184 ownership accommodations on a 16-acre site at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in the Downtown Disney resort area at Walt Disney World. The expanded development plans add a further 368 units to the project, bringing the total accommodations to 552 studio, one- and two-bedroom villas and Grand Villa units housed in 12 buildings. Accommodations previously associated with The Villas at Disney Institute will be razed to make way for the new Disney Vacation Club units.

"Over the past decade, we have seen our membership community grow in leaps and bounds as guests experience how Disney can make their vacation dreams come true year after year," said George Aguel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. "With its award-winning spa facilities, themed resort experience and spacious accommodations, we believe Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be yet another popular property within our growing program."

The resort will also feature a theme pool with a natural springs-inspired pool slide, as well as a unique market concept combining dining and retail. Projected opening for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is late spring 2004.

The announcement marks a time of exciting growth for Disney Vacation Club, which now boasts a membership of more than 70,000 families from over 60 countries. The current collection of Disney Vacation Club Resorts includes four locations at Walt Disney World (Disney's Old Key West Resort; Disney's BoardWalk Villas; The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Beach Club Villas), as well as Disney's first resorts beyond the theme park locations -Disney's Vero Beach Resort located on Florida's Atlantic Coast and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

Opening in Spring 2004, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa lies just across the lake from the magical metropolis of Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort. From its colorful Victorian architecture to the historic influence of horse racing, this lakeside community recaptures the heyday of upstate New York country retreats in the late 1800s. This Disney Vacation Club Resort will feature a full-service spa, neighborhood eatery and market, a theme pool with slide, playground, tennis and convenient access to the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.